We are approaching the actual start of the offseason, which begins on March 13 when teams can officially start signing players. At that point, we will see how the teams plan to approach a critical signing period that could change the team’s disappointing playoff performances in recent years, now 2-5 under coach Mike McCarthy. NFL If there is one player who could change that outlook, it might be the toughest running back on the market, former Titans star running back Derrick Henry. Cowboys At Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Rico Gathers—formerly of the Cowboys—stated on his podcast, “The Rico Report,” that bringing in Henry to a Cowboys offense lacking toughness when needed would be a move that could change the team’s future.
Signing Henry, Gathers said, would take the Cowboys’ run game back to its Ezekiel Elliott heyday and return the team to playing, “big-boy football.” Titans In making the case for Henry to Dallas, Gathers added that the team would need to create cap space for Henry, but once that was accomplished, the fit would be ideal. Tony Pollard disappointed last year, and in a Cowboys offense with plenty of finesse, he was probably too much of the same thing. The Cowboys could use a grinder like Henry. “Zeke Elliott was a bruising-type back, inside runner, can get outside if he needs to, but he is more a tough, inside-run type guy,” Gathers said. “They move on from him. They say, ‘Tony Pollard, you’re our guy.’ Tony Pollard didn’t have the year I think most Cowboys fans anticipated. Why don’t we get back to big-boy football, between-the-tackle football? ….
“You can’t tell me Jerry Jones, when he says, ‘I’m going all in,’ he’s not thinking, let’s bolster this running game. Let’s get that going.” While Henry is not as young as he once was, at age 30, he still maintains his rough-and-tumble playing style—rushing for 1,167 yards this season on a struggling Titans team, including 153 yards in the last game of the season.Derrick Henry is expected to receive around $10 million per year, putting him at the upper end of running back salaries. However, the market for even the best running backs remains relatively low, so the team could end up with a good deal no matter what they offer Henry.The consensus is that Henry will earn around $10 million per year. At Spotrac, his market value is estimated at a one-year, $10.3 million contract. At Pro Football Focus, it is a two-year, $20 million contract, and Bleacher Report predicts the same.Henry has expressed a desire to play for a contender, and the Cowboys, along with the Colts, are the most likely landing spots. It will require some recruiting and execution from the Cowboys in the coming weeks to make it happen.
Gathers suggested that the Dallas Cowboys should free up some salary cap space to make room for Derrick Henry. He mentioned that if they paired him with Dak Prescott, it would create a threat with both Henry's running and Prescott's skills, giving opponents more to worry about. The Cowboys don't have a lot of money to spend, but they really need to get stronger. Bringing in running back Derrick Henry as a free agent signing could be the perfect solution. heyday and return the Cowboys to playing, “big-boy football.”
Cowboys Prepared to Move on From Tony Pollard?
In making the case for Henry to Dallas, Gathers added that the team would need to create cap space for Henry, but once that was accomplished, the fit would be ideal. Tony Pollard disappointed last year, and in a Cowboys offense with plenty of finesse, he was probably too much of the same thing. The Cowboys could use a grinder like Henry.
“Zeke Elliott was a bruising-type back, inside runner, can get outside if he needs to, but he is more a tough, inside-run type guy,” Gathers said. “They move on from him. They say, ‘Tony Pollard, you’re our guy.’ Tony Pollard didn’t have the year I think most Cowboys fans anticipated. Why don’t we get back to big-boy football, between-the-tackle football? …
“You can’t tell me Jerry Jones, when he says, ‘I’m going all in,’ he’s not thinking, let’s bolster this running game. Let’s get that going.”
To be sure, Henry is not a spring chicken at age 30. He might not be the same power back he was in 2020, when he rushed for 2,027 yards, becoming just the eighth player to reach that threshold. But don’t think for a moment he’s lost his rough-and-tumble touch—Henry rushed for 1,167 yards this season on a bad Titans team.
In the last game of the season, he notched 153 yards on 19 carries. Henry had four 100-yard games this season, which is four times as many as Pollard.
Derrick Henry Figures to Get $10 Million per Year
Financially, Henry will be in the upper range of running backs, but the market for even the best running backs still remains depressed, meaning the team could come away with a bargain no matter what deal it were to give Henry.
The consensus is that Henry will earn around $10 million per year. At Spotrac, his market value is pegged at a one-year, $10.3 million contract. At Pro Football Focus, it is a two-year, $20 million, and the same prediction comes in at Bleacher Report, as well.
Henry has said he wants to play for a contender, and the Cowboys, along with the Ravens, are the most logical landing spots. So it will require some recruiting and some execution from the Cowboys in the coming weeks to make it happen.
“Let’s make some room under the cap, Dallas Cowboys, and let’s see if we can bring in Derrick Henry,” Gathers said. “Match him with Dak … Now you’ve got to worry about Derrick Henry running down your throat or Dak Prescott, who was in the MVP race, having a running back he doesn’t have to worry about.”